Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1887-10-06
in A GERMAN CAFE.
An Institution OF the Fatherland That nas
Found It's Way to New York.

Il
I was walking up Second avenue
| from Hudson street the other day
when 1 noticed a number of men
seated at open windows in one of the
old-time aristocratic houses near Tenth
street, Some were reading, some
were playing chess and few were
dreamily pulling at cigars and watch
ing the rings of blue smoke as they
fioated over their heads.
From their appearance they were all
Germans, which was not at all strange,
this being now a German neighbor-
hood. Over the main entrance to the
house was a small, neat sign, bearing
the single word: Cafe" l entered.
The place was a peculiar one. 1t
was divided into three rooms, and also
had large veranda in the rear. The
front room, which was also the largest,
contained many small, round, hard
wood tables, at which sat the persons l
had seen from the street and many
others. Nearly all were drinking
strong coffee. On shelves extending
around the walls were all sorts and
kinds of German illustrated papers,
newspapers, funny journals, standard
German books and some rare and
curious German volumes. Perhaps
thirty men were in the room, although
it was early in the afternoon, when
most people are ut work.
Generally Germans are very voluble
when they are together. but here not a
sound was to be heard except the rust
ling of the papers and an occasional
ejaculation from one of the chess
players. The latter were deeply inn
mersed in their games and entirely OBJ
liviOus to aught else but their cigars.
Their brows were knit into severe
frowns and their bodies were bent for
ward. An air of extreme restfulness
pervaded the place and made one feel
athome, despite the foreign character
istics of the men. All seemed to know
each other, but. as if by agreement. all
conversation was confined to a few
words of recognition.
In the spacious hall similar scene
was to be found. In one of the
inner rooms were two billiard tables,
which were covered and looked neg
lected. In the third room was a coun-
ter with two showcases, one containing
cigars and cigarettes, and the other
filled with samples of German pastry.
There were large cakes, soft and deli
cious in appearance. but not at all
sweet; peculiar apple, peach, cheese
and prune cakes, without any upper
crust. all very good, but different from
American or French pastry.
On the veranda sat several persons
engaged in conversation, apparently
appertaining to business. 1t was a
queer scene in the middle of a busy
day in busy New York and outside of
similar resorts could probably not be
found anywhere else in the city.
In no place. probably, can the every
day life of the male part of our large Ger
man population be studied to better adj
vantage than in the numerous German
cafes which range from the cheap re-
sort on East Houston street to the swell
and luxurious brownstone affair on
street. The characters
tics of the one differ but little from the
other. The difference lies mainly in
the surroundings and the quality of the
furniture, decorations and so forth.
The one is an exact copy of its Ber-
lin and Viennese prototype. 1t is so
entirely different from any thing
or French or English that it
seems out of place in our streets. To
a student desirSus of making himself
acquainted with real German customs
and character no place this side of the
Fatherland will prove SO useful as this
cafe. 1t is also the only place where
can be obtained those examples of real
German cooking which are so satisfy
ing and at the same time so delicious.
The cafe is great deal more to the
German than merely a restaurant. 1t
is his club where he find things as he
remembers them in the old country;
where he can throw aside his acquired
customs and can forget
every thing except that he is German.
Not that he always does this, for ut
night, when the quiet scene L have de-
scribed is changed to one of mirth and
enjoyment of more noisy kind, scraps
of loud conversation can be heard, in
which English words are frequently
jumbled in with a strong flow of Ger
man in an extremely ludicrous man
ner.
When two German business men
have some particularly important
transaction to discuss they will, if any
where near a cafe. adjourn there TO
talk it over Under the influence OF
coffee and cigars they soon come to an
amicable arrangement. From early
morning, when the bachelors come
there for their breakfasts, until late at
night, when. dinner having been dis
posed of, chess, billiards and merry
talk are in order. the cafe is continu-
ally filled. To some it is more familiar